Ex(as)piration Date
by iwritebadbutdealwithit98
Summary: Feeling discouraged in pinning after Ladybug, Adrien decides it's time to move on. He had his eye on Kagami, but he would need help talking to her.


**This is based on the synopsis we got of Frozer. I have not seen the episode yet, so none of this actually happened, though I wish it would.**

 **Also, I didn't have a beta per se, and I wrote it at** 3AM **so sorry if there are errors.**

The problem with making promises to oneself was that it was easy to break those promises. After all, there was no one to hold your words against you. Adrien didn't want to believe his promise was empty, but he also didn't want to be left waiting forever. Even he could run out of patience.

About a year ago his eyes had landed on Ladybug. Even recently, when Ladybug had told him she couldn't return his feelings, he wouldn't give up on her. In hopes that she'd change her mind someday, Adrien had promised himself that he'd wait for her. But it was time. Ladybug seemed pretty focused on someone else, he had to move on, and he'd had his closure period. He was ready.

"Dude, there's no way," Nino stopped a few steps in front of Adrien, tilting his head down to look him in the eye over the brim of his glasses. Though this did nothing but blur his vision - he could only hope he was making eye contact… Adrien's eyes were… somewhere… in that direction - he knew Adrien was pouting innocently. Most likely he was about to ask a naive question.

"Why not?"

Nino lifted his head, adjusting his glasses to see Adrien clearly. "You are not ready to move on. Think about it, you can't go after every girl in a cherry-red suit."

"It's not like that!"

"It's no coincidence, you're still coping, Adrien. And it's not fair to Kagami to be a fallback."

Adrien ducked his head. "I actually like her…"

"Of course you do. Kagami is cool and really nice, but what else do you know about her?"

Adrien was quiet.

"You should really think about this and get to know her before you jump to dating. I know you like any girl who could kick your ass, but where's the spark?"

"That's what I'm looking for, Nino! I can't always wait for a spark to happen naturally… at least you can say this is more realistic than pinning after Ladybug." Well, it wasn't, but Nino wouldn't know that.

"I can't, actually. I don't know what happened in that shower-"

"Nothing happened!"

"Look," Nino put his hand on Adrien's shoulder, "all I'm saying is, maybe go for someone you know a little better. Someone who's suited for you, someone who always makes you happy."

"Like…?"

"Like…" Nino gestured vaguely, "Marinette!"

Adrien thought for a moment. "Hey… yeah, Marinette! Maybe she could help me!"

"What-"

"I could ask her for advice on how to talk to Kagami!"

Nino winced. "I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Why?"

"Because…" Nino thought about Alya's piercing glare. He couldn't say it, not one word. "Well, you know, Marinette's not really an expert in that area either. She gets so flustered, and she stutters a lot…"

Adrien raised an eyebrow. "That's not very nice, Nino. Just because she has a speech impediment doesn't mean you should disregard what she has to say. Marinette gives great advice, you know."

Nino sighed. It was no use. "Ok, maybe you're right."

* * *

There she was. Dark curtains of hair draped over her forehead, only disturbed by a gentle breeze. Plump, rosy lips, glittering lip gloss painted over them. Her smile, her laugh, her eyes… Marinette. His dear friend.

Adrien strolled over to her, a bit of a bounce to his step. Finally, hope was in sight. Marinette jumped a little when he shoe scraped against the concrete as he came to a stop. She looked up slowly, blinking frequently, possibly - Adrien thought - due to the sun in her eyes. Upon looking at him, she gasped, triggering an episode of coughs. She was choking on her own spit. As if things couldn't get any worse, she gasped for air in attempt to blurt out an apology; instead she found her throat would clench at every attempt, the sound not unlike that of a donkey.

"Ah- I didn't mean to scare you," Adrien leaned forward to pat Marinette's back, praying to God he hadn't broken her. "I'm sorry. It helps if you raise your hands over your head?"

Marinette straightened her back and waved her hand. "N-no, I'm ok," she croaked, eyes watery.

"Are you sure?" Adrien kept his hand in the small of her back, rubbing in circles as she wiped her eyes.

"Yeah, I guess I'm a little on edge lately," she giggled nervously.

"Me too…"

"Um, so-" Marinette tucked some loose strands of hair behind her ear- "what was on your mind?"

Adrien clasped his hands together, a nervous yet pleading look on his face. "You know that… couples' ice skating event?"

Marinette blushed, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. "Yeah?"

"I was wondering..." Adrien rubbed the back of his neck, "Could you… help me ask Kagami out?"

Her face fell for a fraction of a second, "Oh." She smiled, the quiver in her bottom lip too small to notice. "You want my help?"

"Yeah! I figured you always know just the right way to surprise someone, you seem to really know people on another level. So maybe you'd know just what would convince Kagami to say yes?"

Marinette bit her lip. She looked at Adrien; his eyes were bright, a wide smile on his face like he trusted Marinette with every fiber of his being. Really, what more could she ask for? In any case, unless she built up the guts to confess to him right there on the spot, saying no would be selfish. It would put her in the 'If I can't have him, no one can' mindset, as though he were property, which she wanted no part of. If she claimed she wanted his heart she had to be responsible with it. He looked very happy and excited, how could she deprive him of this chance?

"I'll help you, or do my best at least!" Marinette's smile brightened as Adrien thanked her.

"You're the best, Marinette, I can't thank you enough!" Adrien chuckled nervously, "I really didn't know what to do."

Marinette started to walk past him - gesturing for him to follow - after the bell rang. "It's no problem. We'll talk after class, I'll see if I have any ideas by then."

* * *

Marinette's stomach ached. She noticed her hand was trembling over her tablet as she tried to write genuine, heartfelt ideas for Adrien to woo _someone_ else . But she couldn't do a half-assed job, she'd made a promise to a friend. For all she knew, Kagami liked him back. A relationship where the feelings were mutual was better off than whatever chances she herself had. She stroked her stylus against the screen, tracing out her first idea (a personal favorite fantasy she'd dreamt about many times) letter-by-letter.

-Surprise her with a scavenger hunt

When a teardrop fell onto the letters, she nearly choked. Marinette hoped no one saw as she tried steadying her breath. In a desperate attempt to disguise her dampened eyes, she feigned a loud sneeze.

She groaned as she lifted her head away from her elbow; she figured it played along with her act and didn't attempt to suppress her agonized expression. And for the most part, it did.

"Are you ok, Marinette?" Adrien had his hand on the front of her desk as he leaned towards her in his seat. His eyebrows were furrowed with worry but he had a soft smile on his lips, as though he figured she was just coming down with something.

She waved her hands dismissively, "Ah, yeah! I'm just feeling a little sick is all." Which wasn't entirely a lie.

He stared at her. "Oh… maybe you should go to the nurse's office."

She shook her head. "I'll be fine, don't worry about it."

Adrien kept his gaze on her a little longer before reluctantly turning around with a concerned smile.

Marinette frowned back down to her tablet. There, written in her handwriting, was one of the romantic gestures she'd dreamt up a while back. Adrien planting little gifts and clues around the school to lead her to him. He'd be waiting in the park with a rose in his hand and a question on his lips. One final clue, and an answer only she could give.

She wanted to erase it desperately. How could she give that wish away? Kagami and she weren't even that much alike, so they wouldn't have the same ideas of romance. But it was the perfect scenario. Subtle enough that someone reserved or shy wouldn't feel overwhelmed by it but also profound and showy enough that someone outgoing would get their fireworks. It was sappy, it was fun, it was personal. Giving Adrien and Kagami that much was wishing them happiness, which she did want for them individually. But why this way?

Marinette saved and close out of her notes. That was all she could bare to write for now, and hopefully it would be enough. In any case, she didn't know Kagami that well, so it's not like she had exact ideas either. After class, she would be giving Adrien her dreams.

She felt like an idiot, allowing herself to be tortured, and for what? Nobility? Was this a heroic deed? Or was it selfish to even think that much of it? She was stuck, there was no way of protecting herself that seemed like the right way. She'd been struck by Cupid's arrow and the only option now was to painfully wrench it out, hoping she wouldn't bleed out. It was her responsibility to bare through sacrifices for the sake of _love_. Yes, love, the infamous red string, a glorified chain. What good was it?

A small part of her wanted to go ask Kagami what things she hated, and then recommend Adrien do exactly that. Or perhaps to bluntly warn Kagami what Adrien was plotting and suggest that she rejects him. But neither of them deserved that, she couldn't be angry with them. All of the poison on the tip of her tongue, it tasted like vinegar and made her temples throb. She'd have to swallow it and let it sit in the bottom of her stomach, coursing through her with a burning trail that closed up her throat and sent the blood rushing to her head, a stinging sensation behind her eyes. She felt unable to breathe and something was clawing at the inside of her stomach. Whatever it was, it wanted to burst out and-

"Mme Bustier, may I be excused to the restroom?" Marinette found herself dizzily jumping from her seat. Adrien whipped around to look at her. Her face was pale with beads of sweat on her forehead. He saw that her raised hand was dotted with nail marks. Mme Bustier nodded, prompting Marinette to charge out of the classroom.

"Marinette!" Alya called just as Marinette went out of earshot, she turned urgently to her teacher, "Mme Bu-"

"Mme Bustier! May I be excused too?"

Before Alya could react, Adrien was out the door as well, throwing a worried look to her. She looked to Nino, wondering if there was drama between Adrien and Marinette that she didn't know about, but he shrugged at her with equal confusion on his face. All they could do was wait for the aftermath.

* * *

Marinette collapsed in front of the toilet seat, breathing heavy and waiting for the worst.

"Marinette, if it distresses you this much to help Adrien, then maybe you should tell him," Tikki stroked the nape of Marinette's neck.

"I-I can't do that!"

"I promise he won't be hurt or angry, he'll understand!"

"It's not that, I just don't want to ruin this for him…"

"He would want to know. You're his friend, he would ruin a small date to avoid hurting you without a second thought."

"I'll get over it… I'll get over it…"

Tikki flew in front of Marinette's field of view. "But you don't have to. You can depend on Adrien just as much as you can depend on Alya."

* * *

"Never thought I'd see the day where you snoop on the girl's bathroom like some sort of pervert."

Adrien lifted his ear from the bathroom door and glared at Plagg. "I'm not snooping, I'm just… listening."

"Can't wait to see how the principal takes that excuse when you get caught."

"Hush," Adrien went to press his head back against the door. He heard another voice already speaking to Marinette, which put his mind at ease. Yet he couldn't help his curiosity.

 _"I'll feel better when I vent to Alya, there's no way I'm telling him. He can't find out like this."_

 _"How long are you planning on waiting to talk to Alya?"_

 _"Until after all of this is over."_

 _"Marinette!"_

 _"I'll be ok. I was hoping to empty my stomach but nothing wants to come up. I was just overreacting."_

 _"At least do something to calm down, you can't go back to class like this."_

 _"I could use some fresh air…"_

 _"That sounds like a great idea!"_

 _"I wonder if Chat Noir is out there…"_

 _"Chat Noir?"_

 _"I don't know… I suddenly want to see him really badly."_

Adrien stood up, a little taken aback, but determined. "That's my cue, Plagg."

He ran over into the boys' bathroom, Plagg trailing close behind.

Plagg deadpanned, "How exactly do you plan to explain your convenient appearance?"

"I…" Adrien turned to Plagg with a half-desperate look on his face- "...had to pee?"

"Your excuse… is to claim you broke into a school just to use the restroom?"

"Well, it sounds stupid when you say it. Doesn't matter, Plagg, transform me!"

* * *

Marinette froze when she heard a thud on the ceiling. Maybe it wasn't quite secure for Ladybug to be exiting the bathroom window just yet. Curious and paranoid, she climbed onto the toilet and reached for the translucent window above the stall. After prying it open, she peered out as far as her tippy toes would let her.

Turning her head back uncomfortably, she barely saw the roof from the corner of her eye. "Chat Noir?"

"Oh hey, Princess," Chat Noir smiled a little smugly. He knew that if he landed hard enough on the roof that Marinette would be curious. Although he hadn't expected her to peer out of the window, he figured he'd have to continue to be loud as he slipped into the boy's bathroom and out into the hallway. "That's not very safe you know."

"I thought you were an akuma, this is safer than running out into the open or letting someone else make the first move."

"I'm not sure how sound that argument is, but for now maybe you should climb down before you fall," Chat Noir crouched onto the extended roof below the window.

Marinette started to pull herself up to the windowsill, lifting her left leg through the window.

"No, not this way!" Chat Noir raised his hands, fussing over her, "you can't go this way!"

"It's a fire escape, of course I ca- wAH!" Marinette slipped forward, hitting her right ankle on the top of the window frame as her leg flew up. She would've fallen off the roof face-first had it not been for Chat Noir's arm around her waist.

He sighed, pulling Marinette to a sitting position beside him. "It's a fire escape when you use the safety ladder. Marinette, it's not like you to be so rash, are you feeling okay?" Chat placed the back of his hand against her forehead, then compared it to his own.

She leaned into his chest, wrapping him into a tight hug. "I feel much better now."

Chat Noir hugged her back, then grinned at her words upon desperately climbing out of a bathroom stall. "I'm glad you had a good time relieving yourself."

Marinette laughed despite her shocked expression. "Chat!" She smacked his arm.

He feigned disgust. "Ew, did you even wash your hands?"

"Hmm, I guess you'll never know," she dragged her hand down his face.

Chat made a face. "Rude, now I'll either catch a disease or get really bad breakouts."

Marinette giggled. She quieted when Chat Noir took her hand.

"But seriously, Marinette, you weren't actually _sick_ were you? Is there something you want to talk about?"

She looked down at her hands. "I'd rather not, to be honest."

He placed his hand on her shoulder, "Sure, sorry. Can I ask something vaguely?"

"Yeah, that's fine."

"Well… are you…" he rubbed his arm, "angry with someone?"

"No… just with myself, I guess. It's not something I can back out of, so…"

Chat leaned forward, "Maybe you should just approach it differently then. You know, sometimes I'm cornered in battle and my instinct would be a wrong move, so I'm stumped. _Unless_ I do something a little against my guts, something a little crazy. That's when I have a breakthrough and I'm free."

"So basically do what you wouldn't expect the answer to be?"

"Something like that, yeah."

Marinette stared out over the city. She would've expected Tikki's idea of talking to Adrien to work. She had to think of something that would seem counterintuitive perhaps. She could tell him she was excited on his behalf, hearing herself say it could make her believe it. But it didn't necessarily sound like something that wouldn't cross her mind.

One thing she knew she didn't want to do was talk to Kagami. It seemed like danger zone, there was no way that would help. And that's why it was her only option.

"I think I know what I need to do. Although I don't like it very much."

"But will it get you out of what's hurting you the most?"

Giving her favorite romantic gesture to another girl and confronting Adrien? "Definitely."

"Then go for it!"

Marinette stood up. "I have to go."

* * *

It was end of the school day, and Marinette hadn't shared her idea with Adrien. With luck she'd have a fresh, unique idea within a few minutes and her dreams would be safe. She was marching towards a locker on the other side of the room, Kagami's locker.

Marinette rounded the corner, yelping after she collided with something. Her head was thrown forward from the momentum, her upper lip banging into someone's collarbone.

"Marinette, I'm so sorry, are you hurt?"

"N-no big deal, I should've watched-" Marinette's eyes widened, her gaping jaw hidden behind her hand that was stroking her lip. "Kagami!"

Kagami smiled, "I'm here for fencing practice, if that's what you were wondering."

Marinette straightened nervously. "A-actually I was l-looking for you…"

Kagami's eyebrows jumped up, "Oh?"

"I wanted to ask you something," Marinette fiddled with her hair.

"Sure, what about?" Kagami's eyes watched her intently, open and welcoming.

"Well it's a little weird, but… what kind of romantic gestures do you like?"

Kagami's lips parted, her eyes softening as she smiled. "Marinette, are you…"

Marinette blinked innocently.

"Hmm," Kagami crossed her arms, "anything you like."

"What I like?!"

"Yes, I trust you to think up something nice. Oh and-" Kagami leaned toward Marinette's ear, "I do like a little boldness."

Kagami leaned away. As she walked past Marinette, she stopped to stroke the back of her index finger on Marinette's cheek, then left.

Marinette blushed, holding her hand up to her cheek. No wonder Adrien had fallen for her. Everything about her was breathtaking. Wanting to at least hold her hand was the only sane response.

Kagami was definitely good for Adrien…

But she had said that whatever Marinette could think of was good. Marinette was back to square one. And it wasn't encouraging to hear such enthusiasm from Kagami. Kagami must have known this was about Adrien. Looks like she would have to go to him now after all.

It didn't mean Chat Noir's advice was bad, however. She wasn't angry with Kagami anymore, considering even she would want to go on a date with Kagami. Marinette was a little more hopeless but not sick to her stomach… that much was telling. It would be silly to expect a way out. Marinette took out her tablet and made her way to find Adrien.

* * *

Kagami held onto Adrien's arm, gliding across the ice in sync with him. "Thanks for asking me to the skate, Adrien, I'm really enjoying myself."

Adrien blushed. "Me too."

"Ice-skating is one of my favorite things to do for fun," Kagami released his arm and skated ahead, twirling around to face him. "It's ironic. Standing on ice feels like you should lose all control. But I feel like everything is finally under my control."

She skated in a large arc, pointing out the trails behind her skates. "I'm carving the ground to the path I need. It doesn't guide me, I guide it."

Adrien looked at his own skates, "I never thought of it that way." His eyes shifted to the side.

"You're looking at her again," Kagami slowed down.

"Wha- no I just…" Adrien looked at Kagami, "I didn't expect her to go with Luka."

Kagami skated back to Adrien. "What'd you want her to do? Sit gloomily on the bench?"

"Of course not!" He glanced back to Marinette, "I don't know why I can't help watching them."

"Looks like he's really sweeping her off her feet. They might even end up dating."

"Yeah…"

"We can't have that, now can we? You should talk to her."

Adrien's eyes widened as he stared at Kagami. "I can't do that!"

Kagami leveled her gaze into his. "Go get her, or I will."

Adrien stiffened; she was serious. She was looking dead at him, her tone of voice was almost competitive. Not only that, but he could tell that she saw right through him. He was tempted to go snatch Marinette away. It was strange, he didn't see this feeling coming at all. It wasn't until Marinette met his gaze that something jolted in him.

"What should I do? I can't just barge in."

"That's exactly what you're going to do. Here," Kagami took two notecards from her pocket, glancing at one of them and handing Adrien the other. "Take this and do exactly as I say."

* * *

"Whoops! Incoming!" Kagami charged in-between Luka and Marinette. They hastily separated as Kagami zipped past them. She barely grazed Luka, who was shoved backward. Marinette tumbled over, barely caught by Adrien's firm grip on her wrist.

"Are you ok, Marinette?" Adrien helped her steady herself, peeking over at Kagami, who was already taking Luka by the hand. Luka threw a confused smile over to Marinette before following Kagami.

"What is Kagami doing?" Marinette's pitch was almost a whine. "She must have some sort of magic touch…" She started to skate towards the exit of the rink, "guess we're both alone now."

Marinette slumped onto the bench, quickly untying her laces and removing her skates. Adrien pauses in front of her, a strained look on his face, then walked over to another bench and removed his skates. Not wanting to stay behind too long, he was out the door before Marinette.

She sighed. The list of things that could make this week any worse was very short. In fact, most of the list involved extreme situations that probably wouldn't happen. She'd already talked to Alya about what happened with Adrien, to think there would be more bad news now. What on earth was Kagami up to? When she had said 'whatever you like' was it so literal that she wanted to go after anyone Marinette was interested in? This was torture, her only option was to-

Marinette's eyebrows furrowed as she stepped outside, her hand holding onto something in her pocket. She took it out and examined it. A small piece of paper with a message on it.

 _I'm rather smelly underground_

 _But people eat me all around_

Her eyes widened. It was a clue! Someone had placed it into her pocket while she wasn't looking. There were only two possibilities of who, but she didn't want to think about it too much. She didn't want to get too excited. For now, she was on a hunt.

"Subway!" she dashed down the block, marching down the stairs to the metro.

She whipped her head around looking for another sheet of paper. It was possible it had been thrown away by now, how would she know where to go next? Marinette looked back at the card, gasping at the colored stripe across it. "Yellow line!"

She screamed as people began to pile into the train, rushing through them before the doors closed. She painted as she clung to a pole inside the train. Taking a closer look at the card, the stripe turned out to be the letter 'I'. "First stop."

Marinette stumbled up the stairs, met with the familiar poster of Adrien. Against the pillar was a white umbrella with a red bow. She noticed a piece of paper tucked underneath the bow.

 _To keep yourself from getting wet_

 _go to where we first met_

Marinette's head was spinning. There was no other answer, it had to be him! Though the umbrella wasn't the right color, she didn't understand what that was about. Still, her legs carried her where she needed to go.

It was almost dreamlike to see Adrien at the top of the stairs. She had to pinch herself as she stood paralyzed at the foot of the school building.

Adrien smiled, gesturing for her to come closer. "Sorry, I'm gonna make you climb the stairs."

She would climb a mountain if she had to. Marinette skipped two steps at a time, stopping only when Adrien was directly in front of her. "Adrien… when did you do all of this? I don't understand."

"Actually, Kagami did this. She must have set it up during the week, after I asked her out. I think she knew a lot more than she let on."

"Kagami?! Wow… that explains why the umbrella isn't black, though it is prettier. You told her where we… well we didn't exactly _meet_ here, but…"

"Not literally. But we did _truly_ meet here. And no I didn't, I told that I gave you my umbrella when we became friends."

"A little different from friends to me…"

"Right," Adrien took Marinette's hand, offering a rose in his other hand, "I'm sorry this took so long. Marinette, would you go out with me?"

 **A/N** **"No wonder he loves her,**

 **No wonder at all...**  
 **No wonder he loves her-**  
 **What else could he do?**  
 **If I were a man, I would too!" - No Wonder, Yentl**

 **I'm only using the beginning and the end of the lyrics because it's lowkey sexist - considering the time period and setting, not surprising - but I liked the idea of the song.**


End file.
